A contraption artist at work

Andy Uhler Mar 9, 2016
HTML EMBED:
COPY
A small part of a massive machine built by Brett Doar.

A contraption artist at work

Andy Uhler Mar 9, 2016
A small part of a massive machine built by Brett Doar.
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Brett Doar’s website claims he can build anything out of paperclips.

“For a long time I was building a lot of stuff out of paper clips, bottle caps and tin cans,” he said. “I really found that nourishing because those were stupid materials to use. When I failed, it wasn’t like, ‘Oh because you’re stupid,’ it was, ‘Oh, I’m trying to make this thing out of paper clips.”

What turned Doar’s ability to tinker into a business was a phone call from a pop band, OK Go, about five years ago. Doar helped build a machine featured in the song, “This Too Shall Pass.”

Here’s a look at some of the things Doar’s been working on in his Los Angeles studio.

 

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.